Nominations for 2015 NMOTA
Officers
Office of Vice President
school, community and home-based programs
for children and adolescents with autism
spectrum disorder; volunteered in Nicaragua,
India and her local NM community supporting
inclusive play, developing social skills
workshops, and advocating with and for those in
need of occupational justice.
Rachel also has leadership experience with
NMOTA, as an active board member in both the
Legislative and Continuing Education
Committees of NMOTA for the past two years.
Rachel temporarily co-chaired the Continuing
Education committee with current chair, and has
recently discovered her passion for legislative
advocacy and occupational justice. She helped
to coordinate and facilitate Legislative Day for
UNM GOTP students and the OT community in
2014 and continues to participate in legislative
advocacy initiatives.
Vision for NMOTA:
Rachel A. Nelson (Gillespie), MOTR/L,
BS
OT Experience:
Rachel graduated in December 2014 with her
Masters Degree from the University of New
Mexico Graduate Occupational Therapy
Program. Rachel currently works as an OT in
community & home-based settings with
Independent Living Therapy Services, LLC; La
Familia-Namaste; New Day Youth & Family
Services; and independently through a private
business license. Her focus is on supporting
those with developmental disabilities in their
natural settings, people experiencing
homelessness, youth in treatment foster care,
teaching movement-based social skills programs
to children with autism spectrum disorder, and
developing integrated and inclusive recreational
programs (e.g. Home School Adapted Physical
Education Classes; Movement-based Social
Skills Program). She has ten years experience
working with individuals with developmental
disabilities and has helped to develop and
facilitate a number of inclusive recreational
programs including Camp Rising Sun; worked in
I believe that our state association should be
one that (1) facilitates & maintains mutually
beneficial relationships with community
organizations; (2) demarcates criterion for highquality occupational therapy service; and (3)
advocates for and defines the distinct value of
OT within the OT community, our healthcare
colleagues, the legislative body and our greater
NM community. In our rapidly changing
healthcare model, it is imperative that we shape
NMOTA’s role within the larger community by
fostering professional relationships as venues to
educate within our diverse communities and
provide a collaborative referral flow. I see
NMOTA as moving towards a more accessible
resource by linking students with potential
employers via online postings, listing licensed
NM OT providers by area of focus for healthcare
recipients.
I will continue to advocate for the distinct value
and scope of OT. I look forward to the
opportunity to work as the Vice President of
NMOTA to empower other practitioners and
persons receiving OT services alike to do the
same and to improve their quality of life, not by
wearing the super-hero cape, but by utilizing a
leadership role to help others create their unique
capes. I am ready to listen to and advocate for
the OT community, and to humbly learn from all
life’s opportunities as a part of this dynamic
NMOTA team.
If elected, I will work to: (1) further develop the
number and quality of relationships between
NMOTA and community organizations, (2) foster
collaborative partnerships for GOTP students
and their NMOTA board, (3) advocate for and
educate other on OTs distinct value, (4)
advocate for our roles in mental & behavioral
healthcare, (5) continue to support occupational
justice for individuals in our state adversely
impacted by systems and life conditions, and (6)
uphold the standards of support to NMOTA &
the OT community set forth by our previous vicepresident.
education from the University of New Mexico
and throughout my teaching career became
interested in utilizing music education as a form
of occupational therapy as well as assisting
musicians achieve their highest level of function
physically, with or without a disability. My
interest and passion for working with survivors of
SCI/D has grown over the years and I am
honored to be a part of the New Mexico chapter
of the American Spinal Cord Association.
I vision NMOTA as an influential professional
group of occupational therapists all connected
by the goals of advocacy, education, and
assisting others live a meaningful life.
Office of Vice President
Office of Secretary
Cara Pimentel, MOTR/L
My name is Cara Pimentel and I am a graduate
of the University of New Mexico Occupational
Therapy Graduate Program, 2006. I have been
practicing occupational therapy since 2007
across different settings including acute inpatient
rehabilitation, long term acute care, and skilled
nursing. I am currently an employee at
HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital and work on
the inpatient SCI team. I am also currently
employed by Kindred Hospital Albuquerque,
Lovelace Rehabilitation Hospital, The Medical
Resort at Fiesta Park, and Advanced Healthcare
of Albuquerque. In the past I have presented
continuing education courses individually and
with physical therapy on SCI/D. I have a
bachelor’s degree in instrumental music
Kaycee Hinckley, MOTR/L
As secretary of the New Mexico Occupational
Therapy Association I look forward to the
opportunity to being a contributing member of an
excellent team of people dedicated to
advocating for occupational therapy and
therapists in New Mexico and beyond. I am a
new practitioner. I currently work in 3 schools,
collaborate with UNM Occupational Therapy
Program and the Center for Development and
Disability providing occupational therapy
consultation and mental health services in
Northern New Mexico, work with adults with
disabilities, and I am a part of a group of
therapists starting an outpatient pediatric clinic in
Taos, NM. I have over 10 years of experience
contributing to the management of non-profit
organizations, in many different roles. I would
bring non-profit experience, technological skill,
and enthusiasm to my position. I appreciate your
consideration, thank you for voting for me.
Office of Secretary
to advocate on the behalf of its clinicians. I see
the organization’s website as a space that
displays the current issues and events going on
across county lines. I see NMOTA utilizing the
latest technologies to not only be current, but to
also connect with wider audiences and to stay
abreast of modern advances in healthcare. I
envision NMOTA as a means of connecting
clinicians, giving them a channel to
communicate with each other about topics of
interest, clinical issues, and professional
matters. Additionally, I see NMOTA advancing
the concepts of AOTA into New Mexico, and
promoting the Centennial Vision. Finally, through
this organization, we can continue to advance
our purpose throughout the state, that we are
here to improve the lives of New Mexicans
across the lifespan through health promotion
and valued occupations.
Office of Treasurer Elect
Julie Brunson, MOTR/L
My name is Julie Brunson and I am a recent
graduate of the University of New Mexico class
of 2014. I was Graduate and Professional
Student Association (GPSA) representative for
my class and was highly involved in the service
events of the class. Currently, I am working for
Therapy Solutions of New Mexico, LLC in
Artesia, where I work in the inpatient, home
health, geriatric mental health, and outpatient
settings.
When I think about the potential future of the
New Mexico Occupational Therapy Association,
I envision an association that has a stronger
presence in the lives of practitioners across the
state. I see it as the leading force in the state to
raise awareness about the profession, as well as
Mary Thelander-Hill, MOTR/L
Born and raised in Albuquerque, Mary
Thelander Hill graduated from the UNM OTGP
in 2010. While completing her OT Master
Degree, Mary attended the NAPA-OT
fieldschool and now uses "advanced-beginner"
Spanish during her treatment sessions.
Upon graduation, Mary trained in providing
person-centered Occupational Therapy
treatment at Inpatient Rehab for two years. She
presently continues to work at Inpatient Rehab,
but has added Acute Inpatient and Outpatient
Rehab to her practice settings.
Office of Treasurer Elect
Mary is a service Coordinator for Care for the
Caregiver; a non-profit agency that provides
psychosocial support to people who care for
family caregivers experiencing Dementia.
Mary is the President of the Advisory Board of
Best Buddies NM, a local chapter of an
international non-profit dedicated to improving
the lives of people who have developmental
disabilities through genuine one-on-one
friendships and fulfilling employment.
Mary is an Active Chair of a silent auction to
support the Julia D. Sweeny Endowed
Scholarship that provides scholarships to OT or
OTA students within the state of New Mexico.
Mary has enjoyed facilitating PBL sessions with
UNM students since 2013, and has also
instructed OT students on ICD and CPT codes
as well as skilled terminology. In the Spring,
2015, Mary began instructing Neuroscience of
Occupation with the UNM OT graduate
program.
She envisions that NMOTA will continue to do
an outstanding job providing all NM OTs with
Legislative Advocacy (needed now more than
ever) and opportunities for Professional
Development and Leadership training. If I am
elected Treasurer of NMOTA, I will keep legal
and clear financial records to keep the ship
running on track.
Prisca Werbelow, MOTR/L
I graduated from the Master of Occupational
Therapy program at University of New
Mexico in 2012. Since then I have been
working as an Occupational Therapist in the
Bernalillo Public schools servicing
elementary-aged children. While in school,
I was able to experience many different
therapeutic settings including: hand therapy,
acute care, inpatient, outpatient and home
health care. I also had the pleasure to
serve as the NMOTA student
representative. Prior to graduating from
UNM, I graduated with a B.S. in Biology
from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and
Technology, where I served as the Student
Association President. During my time as
president, I was responsible for overseeing
the budget of the entire student association
and all the student clubs. I look forward to
this next chapter and hope to be able to
serve NMOTA in a greater capacity.
Vision
To help support NMOTA in its mission of
promoting and developing the practice of
Occupational Therapy through effective and
efficient financial and administrative
processes. Increasing awareness for
NMOTA and ensure adequate resources to
allow NMOTA to provide the highest quality
of services to its members.